Facebook executives met with advertising heads from Unilvever, EE, Barclays and Tesco as well as a host of other media agencies last week in a bid to show how its advertising products can lead to increased sales.
According to the Telegraph, Facebook is developing measurement tools it claims will show how its advertising products can lead to increased sales, even if its members do not click on them, and is working with third-party measurement firms in an attempt to get independent verification of its influence.
Brad Smallwood, Facebook’s vice-president of analytics said of the move: “In the branding world, the direct connection between a page impression or a click and the actual purchase doesn’t exist.”
He continued: “When people look at things online and then purchase things in store, it’s hard to attribute that. That’s the challenge that TV had for a while and they solved it.”
In the pitch to the UK advisory board, Facebook put forward an example in the form of Old El Paso. According to a measurement tool provided by WPP’s Millward Brown, Facebook’s 19 per cent share of a branding campaign across TV, online and other media accounted for 27 per cent of sales for the Mexican food brand.
It comes as Facebook continues to try and develop long-term relationships with major brands beyond click-based web advertising.